by Jim Hallaux
There was a corresponding change in Tom’s personality. For the first six weeks of Tom’s stay at Tongue Point, the most anyone got out of him was a scowl and a grunt. The vibe he put out was ‘stay away.’ Sports had helped Tom make friends with other guys, but he lacked female friends. The students at Job Corps were about evenly split, male and female. Boys being boys and girls being girls and everybody being young, there were romances and breakups and plenty of drama. The staff tried to keep a lid on things, and for the most part, they did. For Tom, romance had not crossed his mind; too busy. All that changed one day at the tennis courts.
Larry challenged Tom to a tennis match. Tom figured he would go easy on the old man; maybe let him win a few games. It was the new Tom; kind, considerate. He was in for an awakening.
Larry never moved. Firmly planted in the exact middle of the court, he returned shot after shot. Tom tried everything from going easy on the guy to trying hard to win a point to trying hard just to return a shot.
The worst part of the whole tennis thing for Tom was Larry, the bastard, never broke a sweat. He even struck up a conversation with a female student who happened to be walking by. He talked and continued the game without losing focus and continued beating Tom.
Tom asked for a timeout. He was feeling a little nauseous and it gave him a chance to check out the girl. She was tallish, with dark hair, flashing brown eyes and a figure his mother would call ‘cute.’ He would call her ‘built.’ She showed absolutely no interest what so ever in Tom. Larry and the girl, who Larry did not introduce, said goodbye.
“Another game, Tom?”
“I’d like to, but I have studying to do, thanks.” It was just an excuse. His ego and body were flat worn out by the pounding he had absorbed.
Larry didn’t dwell on Tom’s drubbing.
Tom watched as the girl left. He didn’t ask Larry about her. Later, he regretted it.
Tom sat in the cafeteria staring at his lunch plate. He was a big fan of the food at Job Corps, but today, the chili was just too hot. His friends called him a wimp for his whining. But it was just too damn hot. Spicy hot, not temperature hot. The burger & fries, however, were great, as always. They gave you so many fries, you couldn’t eat them all.
“Hi, Tom,” Someone said.
Tom looked up from his seat but did not recognize the young woman standing next to him. Curvaceous. Strawberry blonde. Dancing blue eyes. The kind of girl that makes men’s heads turn. Just her stance told Tom that she knew it.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Sally. We had Lit together. Astoria High.”
“I didn’t make it to Lit often.”
“I know,” she said thinking of how to keep the talk going. “But it was more interesting when you came.”
“I’m sorry. I should have paid more attention.” Her flirtatiousness fed his ego.
“Maybe we can make up for lost time.” She stared into his eyes daring him to make a move.
“Great, but I can’t be late for class and I have my eye on a piece of chocolate pie. Can I get you a slice?”
“Please,” she said with a dazzling smile. “I’ll wait for you right here.”
Tom nodded, picked up his tray, and headed to the end of the row of tables. At the end of the aisle, Tom turned right.
Merri Sue was amazed at how good the food was at Job Corps. The lunches in the cafeteria were great, but today she wasn’t hungry. Maybe it was because the chili was a bit too spicy. She got up from the table, offered to bus Penny’s tray as well and walked to the end of the long row of tables. She turned left to the bussing station. As she did, Merri saw a knife and fork that had slid off someone else’s tray and were laying on the floor. Merri was the type of person who would stop and pick up litter whenever she saw it. She knelt at the end of the table, balanced the two trays, and retrieved the knife and fork. Dropped the fork, bent down, and got it again.
Placing the fork on top of the dirty dishes, Merri straightened up. She saw a tall body looming over her and then felt a knee hit her head.
The tall body fell across her back. Putting her arms and the trays out in front of her to break her fall, Merri hit the floor, with her face planted in the bowl of chili.
Tom was at the end of the tables, turning to get to the desserts. He saw a basketball buddy and said hi just as he rounded the end of the tables.
His knee collided with something, he couldn’t tell what.
Tom started to fall. Trying to catch himself, he reached out to grab the end of the table.
His hand landed in a bowl of soup.
It and a full glass of Coke skidded off the side of the table onto an unsuspecting girl from Merri’s PE class.
The soup hit the lap of the girl, the Coke hit her shoulders.
The attack of hot and cold caused the girl to vault up crashing into Tom’s B-ball buddy.
The buddy, fighting to maintain his balance, deposited his fully-packed tray onto four people at the table on the other side of the aisle.
Two of these four spilled their trays as they tried to escape.
One person landed butt first on a different table causing another cascade of Coke, ice, and food. Yelling and screaming.
It was over in 10 seconds. Total casualty report: four down, 8 soaked. Collateral damage: 6 chairs and 1 table overturned. Glasses, plates, knives, and forks were all over the floor. Despite a full brigade of mops and buckets, the floor remained both sticky in some areas and slick in others. The mess on the floor seemed to call people to it causing an additional three down.
In these 10 seconds, Meri went from surprised to “damn that hurts” to pissed. Merri kicked her foot out, trying to inflict pain on her assailant. Her kick, aimed at his stomach, landed lower. Tom arched his head backward, slamming it into the underside of the table.
“Why,” Tom said in a high voice, “did you do that?”
“Me? You walk like you play tennis. Are you clueless?” She stood, chili dripping from her hair.
Tom stood trying to look cool. “You’re the one hiding under a table.”
“At least I don’t have a French fry hanging from my ear.”
All coolness vanished from Tom. His face turned red as he pulled the potato from his lobe.
With that, Merri turned as if in anger and walked away, a slight smile on her face. He’s cute.
15
October 30
Job Corp trained the men and women in their ranks doing actual jobs around the campus. Today, the carpentry class would be working on their second day of the framing of an extension to the automotive class that would become a storage room. The group gathered in class for direction from the instructor, then planned to go to the site to roof the storage facility. Tom sat, waiting for class to start when he looked up and saw the girl from the tennis courts enter the room. She was not a member of the carpentry group… at least not until now. Tom followed her every move until she found an empty seat on the other side of the room. She caught him watching her, and he looked away. She smiled.
The instructor discussed how they would construct the roof framework and the class headed as a group to the automotive shop. As they exited the room, Tom worked his way through his classmates until he neared the girl.
“Hi. I’m Tom.”
“I’m Merri. Not sure I want you this close. I don’t have insurance.”
The class continued to walk to the building site. Tom hesitated not knowing what to say.
“All I can say is, the French fry was tasty,” Tom said.
“You wore it well, I must say,” Merri said with a slight smile.
“And you, the chili. It looked great. In your hair, I mean.” Now he was bumbling and feeling stupid. Just shut up and take a breath.
She smiled. He’s a little awkward, she thought, but cute. As they reached the site, the instructor split them into teams. Merri and Tom were not working together.
“Well,” Merri said, “Got to go. Safer, I suppose, if we keep our distance
. Working on ladders and such.”
He did not get it at first, only hearing she approved of their separation. Then he caught on and smiled.
For the next hour, he watched her as she helped lay the ceiling joists over the top plates. Even in their standard carpenter’s uniform–blue coveralls and hard-tipped boots–she looked great. She worked hard too. Few women want to be carpenters–there was only one other in Tom’s class–but she held her own against the men. Sitting on a top plate, she pulled planks, which later they would stand on while they assembled the roof, up from her partner on the ground and laid them to rest on top of the ceiling joists. Each was twelve feet long and heavy.
The roof construction itself would wait until after lunch. The class stopped at twelve and headed for the cafeteria. Tom caught up with Merri. She looked at him for a second until their eyes met.
“Can I trust you to discipline yourself while we eat, or do we need separate tables?”
Tom caught on that she was asking him to sit with her for lunch.
“On my best behavior,” He swore. “I promise.”
She stuck her hands deep into her coverall pockets as she smiled. Somehow, Tom felt taller today.
“How did you get into the carpentry class? Late?” Tom sat his tray down on the table while Merri sat across from him.
“I requested carpentry from the start but there weren’t any openings. I had to wait. Someone dropped out, I heard.”
“Yeah. I haven’t seen Jeff in a few days.”
“My grandpa was a carpenter. Grew up around it. Always loved how malleable it is.”
“True. Not afraid of breaking a nail?”
“Not at all. Does my wanting to be a carpenter bother you?”
He thought he might turn her off. It was not his intent.
“I was thinking earlier you look good in coveralls.”
“Just good?”
“Well, I don’t want you to get a big head.”
“Noted.” She liked him, but experience told her to keep her guard up. He was cute and engaging. Easy to get along with. The longer they talked, the lower the guard went. They ate and smiled. Tom avoided any clumsy moves and Merri buried her critical thoughts of men.
It was October and the chill of the Columbia River breeze forced the cafeteria’s heater next to Merri to kick in. The sweater she had on under her coveralls was too hot. Merri unzipped it as far as it would go. Tom noticed.
“Listen,” he said, “On our free time, why don’t we have dinner or a movie?”
“I’d like that. Though lunch has gone well, maybe a movie would be safer.”
Tom accepted the jab with a nod of his head.
“Saturday night. The movie starts at seven.”
“I’d love it.”
16
November 1
With her legs propped up to support a magazine, Sammi lay on top of her bed. A strategically placed pillow kept the headboard bearable. She flipped through Cosmopolitan magazine, stopping at an article about Goldie Hawn. Large, four-inch-round eyeglasses tinted rose dominated Goldie’s face. The glasses were all the rage. Good enough for Goldie Hawn. Good enough for Sammi.
Merri Sue paced between the small dresser with its attached mirror and the bathroom.
“Merri, please.”
“What?”
“I’m trying to read.”
“I’m not talking.”
“You’re wearing the shag off the carpet.”
Merri stopped and looked at the stringy gold floor covering. A dark worn path looped around their beds and into the restroom.
“That might not be a bad thing, Sammi.”
“My point is, you’re zipping back and forth. Try to relax. It’s just a movie.” Sammi smiled. Merri obviously liked this guy Tom. Merri never worked this hard getting ready.
“I’m relaxed,” She defended herself. “I just want to feel good about myself.”
“What you want is to look good for Tom.”
“Well, maybe a little.”
“Maybe a lot. You look great.”
Merri’s bellbottom jeans covered her heeled, open-toed shoes and were immaculately pressed. A peasant blouse with three-quarter-length sleeves finished the look.
“You think so?”
“I know so. Relax. Come here.” Sammi patted the bed inviting Merri Sue to sit. Merri still had a lot to do but sat.
Sammi stared at her for a second.
“You like him, don’t you?”
“I guess. I don’t want to. I mean, men are men, right? It never works out well for me.”
“Can’t find the right one if you don’t go shopping.”
“He is cute, right?”
“Right. What’s more important is your face lights up when you talk about him.”
“Really?” It was too much for Merri to hope for and freaked her out. She would stay in tonight. Pretend to be sick. It would be simpler that way. Less pain. “I think I’ll stay in tonight. We could do something together.”
“I won’t help you ruin your life. Get out there. Make things happen.” She primped Merri’s thick dark bangs.
“I guess.”
The setting sun edged the dark clouds with a light blue. Tom looked skyward. Rain would not be unusual for Astoria, but Tom hoped for a clear night. He wanted everything to go well. He puffed into his cupped hand checking his breath and knocked on Merri’s door. No one answered. He heard muffled voices inside and waited.
Finally, the door opened.
“Hi. I’m Sammi.” She offered her hand for a shake.
“Tom.” He looked past her shoulder for Merri.
“She’ll be ready in a sec. Come in.”
Two beds took up most of the efficiency room. Tom sat at the end of one. Sammi plopped down next to him. Tom felt she was checking him out. She was.
“So, where you from?”
The grilling started.
“Right here in Astoria.”
“Merri tells me you’re in carpentry with her.”
“That’s right.” He turned the questioning around. “And you?”
“Hospitality.”
An awkward silence ensued. Merri broke it as she entered the room. Tom stood and stared at the stunning woman in front of him. Her amber eyes and white smile radiated.
He smiled.
“You two having a good conversation?” Merri questioned.
“Ah,” Tom said, “You came just in time.”
Merri glanced Sammi’s way.
“I apologize for my EX-roommate putting you through fifty questions.”
Sammi smiled.
“Not a problem. We should get going though.”
Merri donned her coat as Tom opened the door. Merri turned to Sammi with a large grin. Sammi held up the entwined first two fingers of her right hand.
Good luck.
Tom turned up the collar of his jacket and sank his hands deep in his pocket for warmth. Merri slid her hand around his arm. All the warmth she needed came from Tom. They headed across the street that ran through Job Corps to a warehouse-sized building. It housed two restaurants that gave Sammi and the other Hospitality group practice learning their craft. Behind the eateries, the movie theater offered weekend, second-run movies. Tonight, Wait Until Dark was playing. A safe movie for date night, Tom thought. Not a romance. Too much, too fast? Not a western. Too much killing and blood? And, Audrey Hepburn. Perfect.
They decided on a bite to eat before the show and headed for the more casual restaurant. Tom ordered a hamburger with fries. Merri got a salad with thousand island dressing. Tom suggested they share a shake.
“You pick the flavor,” Merri said.
When the food arrived, Merri stared at Tom’s French fries until he noticed.
“What?”
“Daring to order fries after the cafeteria incident the other day.”
“I thought we agreed that day never happened?”
Merri reached out, placed her warm hand on his, and said,
“But I’m glad it did.”
“Good point.” Tom smiled.
The conversation was easy. They continued to touch hands. Neither worried that the movie had started.
Eventually, Tom looked around. They were sitting in an empty restaurant, the staff waiting for them to leave.
Merri never wanted the night to end.
“I guess we missed the movie,” Merri giggled. Tom helped her with her coat. As they stepped outside, rain pounded the pavement. Merri screeched as they ran across the road to student housing. As they approached Merri’s room, Tom pulled her aside, under the eaves of another building. He placed her back against the wall and stared into her eyes. And she in his. He cocked his head, a kiss inevitable.
“You two having a good night?” Larry stood behind them. Though unavoidable, Job Corps discouraged fraternizing amongst the students.
Tom and Merri straightened up. Busted.
Embarrassed, they stood silent.
Larry let the awkwardness last a few seconds.
“Tom. Might I have a word with you?”
Tom glanced at Merri. He had no choice.
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to Merri.
Larry threw his rain-drenched arm around Tom’s shoulder and walked him away.
Tom expected a lecture.
“Nice girl. Hard worker. Loyal. Good heart.”
Tom was surprised.
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s get out of this rain.”
17
November 4
And so, it began. Staying mostly under the radar, Merri & Tom became an item. During the day, they were strictly classmates (although they did have lunch together every day, using Penny as a beard.) The nights were different. As soon as their Job Corps duties ended, Tom and Merri were together. They enjoyed the on-site movies, the library, and long walks through the campus. Anything to be together.
